Man who impersonated Saudi prince gets 18 years

MIAMI — A man who repeatedly impersonated Saudi royals to con investors and live a lavish lifestyle was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a ruse that fell apart when a victim saw him eating pork, which is prohibited in Islam.

Anthony Gignac, 48, received the sentence Friday in Miami for stealing at least $8 million while pretending to be “Sultan Bin Kahlid Al-Saud.” He bought a Ferrari and Rolex watches and rented a condo on an exclusive South Florida island with his loot. He pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud, impersonating a diplomat and other crimes.

The Miami Herald reports that U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga called him a “mastermind.” Prosecutors said it was at least the 11th time Gignac, 48, had been arrested for impersonating a Saudi prince.

“He was the so-called Saudi prince. He enveloped himself in the trappings of Saudi royalty. He had everyone believing he was a Saudi prince,” Altonaga said.

Gignac was born in Colombia but was adopted by a Michigan family as a young child. He is a U.S. citizen.

He told Altonaga on Friday that while he accepted responsibility, other people were involved and should have been charged.

“I am not a monster,” he said. His public defender, Ayana Harris, told the judge that Gignac’s difficult childhood contributed to his problems. She read a letter from his younger brother, Daniel Gignac, who described how they were abandoned in Colombia. Their adoptive parents later divorced. Daniel Gignac said his brother was forced to care for him.

“This horrific history is the underlying reason for his criminal life,” the letter said.